History

• In 1921, artist Kanae Yamamoto and two assistants developed a high-quality oil crayon that combined the soft, smooth color application of crayons with the brightness of pastels. That crayon eventually evolved into the first oil pastel, named Cray-Pas.
  
  

Uses

• Oil pastel warmed and dipped in oil
  
  The artist can draw with oil pastels as with crayons. They can also be used as paint in formal paintings or to touch up oil paintings.
  
  

Effects

• An artist can create a wide range of effects with oil pastels by heating them, layering them and dipping them in mineral oil. Heating pastels, either with the hands or a heating plate, gives them an impasto feel on canvas. Layering them gives the artist a wide range of color effects. Mineral oil makes oil pastels a wet medium, and they can be easily blended with oil paint.
  
  

Time Frame

• It can take oil pastels up to 30 years to dry completely. Until then, a tough film develops on the surface, which protects the painting.
  
  

Protection

• An artist can spray oil pastel paintings with fixative to protect them. For the best protection, an oil pastel painting should be framed under glass with a spacer.